Week 6 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Cameron Brate returned to practice on Thursday, so we'd expect him to get back into the Bucs' starting lineup. It'll be interesting to see how the Bucs utilize Brate and rookie Cade Otton moving forward. Otton played well in Week 5, finishing 6-43 on seven targets while playing all but five snaps. We'd expect Brate to return to being the team's starter, but Brate and Otton may cancel each other out, production-wise. Brate is outside the top 20 tight ends for Week 6.
Week 4 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Cameron Brate was actually utilized in Week 3 as he saw six targets, finishing 5-52, although that can be tied to the fact the Bucs had so many injuries at the wide receiver position. The Bucs get Mike Evans back this week, and are expected to get Julio Jones back as well. Brate offered very little appeal through the first two games, catching a total of two passes. So for now we're viewing this 50-yard effort as an anomaly as opposed to a trend. Brate is still not a viable option at tight end in fantasy.
Week 3 vs. Green Bay Packers
Despite the Bucs having five receivers listed on the injury report (and one thrown out midway through the game in Week 2), Cameron Brate was still not relevant. He saw just two targets, catching one pass for nine yards. Brate isn't relevant in fantasy.
Week 2 at New Orleans Saints
As expected, Cameron Brate did not end up replacing Rob Gronkowksi's production. Brate finished with one catch for seven yards on three targets in Week 1. He did play a lot, being used on 68% of the offensive snaps. Also noteworthy is rookie Cade Otton played 48% of the offensive snaps, although he didn't see a target. Unless something dramatically changes, Brate is avoidable in fantasy.
Week 1 at Dallas Cowboys
Rob Gronkowski is gone, which leaves behind a lot of production. But it's unlikely Cameron Brate is the man to pick that up. Brate could develop into a redzone threat, but he's unlikely to produce much in terms of receptions or yards. There are too many other tight ends that have better chances at being productive than Brate. Brate is outside of the top 20 tight ends in Week 1.
2022 Fantasy Upside
Rob Gronkowski retired, and OJ Howard left in free agency, so Cameron Brate steps into the starting tight end role. Brate has shown success in the past, most notably in 2016 with his 57-660-8 season and 2017 when he finished 48-591-6. Not only did Gronk retire, but the Bucs also lost Antonio Brown, and will likely be without Chris Godwin (knee) at the start of the year. This opens some opportunities for Brate, especially as a red zone threat.
2022 Fantasy Downside
We had to date back five to six seasons to provide you with Brate’s last relevant successful years. Brate is a 31-year-old tight end who has averaged 281.8 receiving yards over the last four seasons. Some of that is because he was relegated to a backup role, but he didn’t impress last season when taking over during Gronkowski’s injury absence. When Gronk missed five games, Brate finished with a combined 7-73-1. The Bucs realized tight end was a position of need, and brought in a pair of rookies in the NFL Draft including 4th-round pick Cade Otton. They also brought in veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph, who will surely have a sizable role.
2022 Bottom Line
There are a few things going Brate’s way. Gronk is gone, Tom Brady is back, Brate is a starting caliber TE and he’s had some success in the past. But there’s nothing about Brate himself that gets fantasy owners excited. He’s not fast, doesn’t have much production in recent seasons and wasn’t even that great last year with a poor 52.6% catch percentage. The Bucs signing Rudolph is also a pretty big detriment. If Brate does start the year as the team’s TE, he’ll be a touchdown-dependent option at the position. But he can mostly be ignored in fantasy drafts.
Week 6 at Philadelphia Eagles
No one on the Bucs has directly replaced Rob Gronkowski at tight end. The Bucs gave Cameron Brate just one target last week, which he caught for 12 yards. Tampa also got O.J. Howard more involved, giving him three targets which he turned into a 2-19 stat line. Brate isn't much more than a desperation play at tight end this week. He faces an Eagles defense that's allowed a league-high four touchdowns to tight ends this season, so you'd basically be starting Brate with the hopes he'd find the endzone.
Week 5 vs. Miami Dolphins
As expected, Cameron Brate was the main beneficiary of Rob Gronkowski's absence last week, but he didn't quite put up Gronk production. Brate saw a healthy six targets, but only finished two receptions for 29 yards. Interestingly enough, Brate was actually out-snapped by O.J. Howard (by one snap) last week, although Howard saw just one target. The two played on the field together at times, but the Bucs clearly value Howard's blocking ability enough to take Brate off from time to time. Gronk was able to offer both. Brate isn't much more than a desperation play at tight end in Week 5 against Miami.
Week 4 at New England Patriots
Cameron Brate could end up being a sneaky play in Week 4. Starting tight end Rob Gronkowski didn't make the trip, and will be out with a rib injury. Brate stepped up in Gronk's absence in Week 3 when the tight end missed some snaps. Of course, the Bucs also have O.J. Howard, who showed some promise early in 2020 but has barely been a factor so far in 2021. While Brate will step up, we're not expecting Gronk-like production from him. Especially this week in a tough matchup. The Patriots have only allowed four receptions for 27 yards and no touchdowns so far to tight ends through three games this season.
Week 12 at Atlanta Falcons
Cameron Brate saw a ridiculous 14 targets last week as the led the Bucs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (73). Brate took over as the main tight end after O.J. Howard was benched following his botched reception that led to an interception. Considering Brate's workload last week, he can be viewed as a low-end TE1 against the Falcons in Week 12. Atlanta is allowing an average of 12.16 to tight ends this season, but expect Brate to split that production somewhat with Howard.
